Book Review: Enemy of the State

The story is set in D.C. in the near future and has two major plots functioning simultaneously. One is the overthrow of the U.S. government as we now know it. The surging Islamic Caliphate is gaining strength in the Middle East and an unknown person in a high position in the administration of our own U.S. government is secretly feeding the Islamic leader pertinent information. The goal of this D.C. insider is to bring down the world powers and to take control. This person has several "inside operators" in the government working to feed that secret information to parties involved. It results in a near-tragedy for the President and for the Secret Service agents along with him to the African conference. The reader will be surprised who the evil "insiders" are, as the defeat draws near and a shootout takes place in the Oval Office.

The second plot involves the newly elected 45-year-old President Jack Spiers, a widower. He is a former Senator from the state of Texas. Secret Service Agent Ethan has been assigned as the agent to be with the President. Ethan expects another stuffed shirt, but is surprised at how open and friendly the new President happens to be. Also, being a widower, there is no wife or kids with whom to spend his off-time. The handsome President is bright, friendly, but lonely, and wants a friendly relationship with his Agent Ethan. But this is a no-no within the agency. An agent cannot become socially involved with the one they are assigned to protect. Ethan is 41 years old, single, and gay, but that fact is known only by a couple of his closest agent friends. He knows that Jack is a lonely man and Jack insists on a first-name basis for conversation in the mornings when jogging together, when working out together in the White House gym, when shooting pool, and the like. Ethan realizes his attraction to Jack, but knows he cannot cross over the line. Jack realizes he's attracted to Ethan also, but being confused by his new emotion to another man. The reader can see a beautiful scenario beginning to take place.

As their working relationship develops, there are trips to Camp David, the visiting of world leaders in the White House, and conferences in other parts of the world being attended. Just prior to an African conference, a major bomb explodes in Nairobi, Kenya. The Secret Service agents on the trip are trapped and presumed dead, Ethan among them. The President is immediately flown back to the States. The assisted escape of the agents enabling them to get back to the States is excellent reading, and who the "secret insiders" are that have orchestrated the entrapment and assumed deaths may be a surprise to the reader – the proof taking place back in the Oval Office.

As the President becomes enamored of Ethan and begins to accept and enjoy the emotion he feels for him, Jack slowly starts to learn and experiment in the lifestyle. The love beginning to be shared by them is beautiful. Is there sex? Yup! But it is not written as porn at all. It is evolving as emotion between two men in their 40's that have fallen in love.

The named rooms in the White House, the stairwells and tunnels, are all accurate, as are the street names, neighborhoods, and place names. The story is a very well written, easy read and will suck the reader in and he will not want to put the book down.